Walls
by nothingatlpersonal
Summary: An aspiring teacher moves to Baltimore. An All Time Low fanfiction. Rated T just in case.
1. Opportunities

Walls

Chapter One: Opportunity

"Hey mum," I called as I let myself in the front door.

"Hi sweetie, what are you doing here?" She asked. I was meant to be at school studying.

"I needed a break. I think if I see anything that has something to do with numbers, I am going to scream," I answered with complete seriousness. She laughed at me anyway.

I dropped my car keys on the kitchen table and moved my sunglasses to the top of my head with a sigh. It was a hot November day here in Broome, Australia, as usual. My white singlet clung to me with sweat and my thongs slipped off my feet. I loved summer, but it's not the best environment when you're trying to study for a final university exam. _Especially _a maths exam. Sure, I was good at maths, but that didn't mean I had to like studying it for three hours straight.

"Well I appreciate that you'd rather come spend time with me than hang out with your friends in that tiny little dormitory of yours at the University," Mum said after a minute.

I smiled as I reached into the fridge for some ice cool water. It was the absolute best feeling as it hydrated my mouth and glided down my throat. I then plopped onto the couch and closed my eyes, lifting my hair off the back of my neck and tying it into a bun. Ahh, that's better.

"Would you like some fruit salad, Sierra?" Mum called from the kitchen.

My eyes lit up at the thought of food. "Yes please!" I called back. I jumped up to sit at the kitchen table as mum set the colourful bowl down in front of me. Yes, I was 22 years old and my mother still fed me, but there was nothing better than eating fresh, juicy fruit on a hot day. It was an offer I couldn't refuse.

~~~~ 6 weeks later ~~~~

"OH MY GOD!" I squealed, the letter I read shaking in my hands.

My best friend, Alycia, came running in. "OKAY, WHERE'S THE MASSIVE BIRD-EATING SPIDER?" She yelled jokingly. She knew I had a knack for overreacting, but this time I had a legitimate reason.

"Quick, read this!" I shoved the paper in Alycia's face. She began to read it out loud, in an excruciatingly slow and dull tone: "Dear... Miss... Matheson... we would like to... offer... you..."

"My god you idiot, I've been offered a teaching job in America!" I squealed with complete and utter excitement. I watched Alycia's expression as it sunk in.

"That's amazing!" She said, but I could tell her heart wasn't quite in it. "How did this happen?"

"Well, about a month ago I was on the University website, and I noticed an application for a teaching trial in America for new maths and science teachers. I never thought I'd have the chance of being accepted into it, but I applied anyway. The school must have sent them my exam results, because they really want me to go!" I couldn't believe this was happening to me.

"This is an amazing opportunity Sierra, really. I'm so proud of you" Alycia replied and gave me a tight hug. I hugged her back.

"Well... I haven't actually decided if I'm going to go yet..."

"You should go," Alycia jumped in. "It would be a great experience for you! It may even change your life!" She tried sounding inspirational.

I hugged her again. "How could my life change without you in it? I couldn't do it Alycia." I tried not to get upset. It was a great opportunity, but we had been through so much together. I wasn't sure I could do this without her.

"Sometimes you just have to suck it up," she nodded, trying to keep the mood light. "But maybe you should talk to your parents first."

Ah, that was the next thing. Talking to my parents.

I procrastinated for a couple of days, contemplating on what I was going to do. I hadn't talked to my parents yet, but I knew I couldn't wait any longer; I had to give the school in America plenty of notice. So I took Alycia's advice, sucked it up, and drove to my parent's house.

"Hi sweetie," mum greeted me with a hug at the front door. Dad was close behind, wrapping me up in a bear hug like all dads do.

"Hey," I said. My parents noticed straight away that I was here to tell them something important. "Can we go sit in the lounge?" I asked them, and they followed me through the small house.

They sat on the two-seater together, and I sat on the armchair across from them. I took a deep breath. "So... a while ago I applied for a teaching trial for new maths and science teachers. And the other day I got accepted into the program." I told them.

"Well that's wonderful, dear!" Mum exclaimed. But I kept my face straight. She realised there was more to come. "What's wrong?"

"Well, I know it's a great opportunity but... it's in America. In Baltimore, to be exact." I looked out the window, waiting to hear their reaction. It was dead silent.

"Wow," Dad began, but he didn't say anything else.

"How long is the program?" Mum asked.

"It trials for 6 months, and then if it goes well they could offer me a permanent job there." I replied, now looking at my feet.

I heard Mum move. I looked up as she moved to sit on the arm next to me. She put her arm around my shoulders and gave me a hug. "If this is something you really want to do, then you should go for it," she offered.

I was shocked, but also relieved that she was accepting this. "I think I do want to go. Dad?"

He looked up at me and smiled. "My baby girl, going to America! I'm so proud! I'd love for you to go; this would be a very good opportunity for you! This just may change your whole life!"

That last line hit me, reminding me of Alycia. What was I going to do? I didn't want to leave her, of all people. Mum saw the indecision on my face, and she knew straight away who I was thinking about.

"Alycia will have her own opportunities too, Sierra. You two can't always do everything together, and sometimes things like this just happen."

It was unfortunate, but it was true. I left my parent's house that evening and returned to my dorm where I would break the news to Alycia. I was moving to America.

~~~~ One month later ~~~~

"I can't believe we're graduating from University today!" Alycia shouted as she jumped on my bed.

I groaned from under the covers. "Yeah, amazing," I said sarcastically. "Now let me sleep before I punch you" I threatened.

"Oh shut up" Alycia replied with a giggle. "Besides, it's almost 10am, so you might want to get up now. The presentation starts in 3 hours" she said.

"In a minute" I complained. I never was a morning person. I felt the covers begin to move, and I knew Alycia was trying to pull them off of me. "Nooo!" I exclaimed, trying to grasp any part of the cover I could.

"C'mon Sierra, if you hurry we can get Maccas breakfast!"

That made me stop and my stomach grumble. I always tried to be a healthy eater, but dammit the bitch knew I loved a good Maccas breakfast.

"Ugh, fine" I conceded. I hurried to dress and then we were off to McDonald's.

It was now 1pm and the presentation was about to start. Alycia and I glanced at each other nervously. This was it. We were finally finished University.

The balding, important man began to read the names, and soon enough we heard "Alycia Nichols... Sierra Matheson..." I think our hearts both skipped a beat as we heard our names and walked up onto the stage together. Alycia's parents, in a typical Nichols fashion, stood up and began whooping, cheering and clapping for us. They were just like Alycia; loud and loveable. I smiled and waved at them and my parents sitting next to them as I accepted my special scroll thing or whatever it was, and finally completed my schooling... as a student.

**A/N  
>This is my first All Time Low fic, so please review each chapter so I can figure out if I'm doing really bad! Thanksssss (: <strong>


	2. Hello Baltimore

Chapter Two: Hello Baltimore

The last heavy suitcase was heaved into the boot of the car by Dad as I slung my handbag over my shoulder, and turned to face the house for a sentimental moment. Mum came and put her arm around me and kissed me on the head. "We're going to miss you sweetie, but you're going to have a great time" she whispered.

I tilted my head to lean on her shoulder, but we were interrupted by Dad. "If you want to get to the airport in time, we better leave now Sierra," he called.

I turned to him and gave him a big hug, and then I jumped into the back seat of my parent's car. They were both coming to the airport to see me off, and Alycia would meet us there to say goodbye. I was going to miss them so much.

It was only a 20 minute drive to the airport. Once we had parked in the visitor parking, everyone helped to slug my gear out of the boot. "My goodness, Sierra, you'd think your bag was full of bricks!" Mum complained. I laughed.

The bag plonked on the ground, and I pulled out the handle, and began dragging it towards the airport.

After the hustle and bustle of checking in, I sat with my parents at one of the airport cafes, where we had lunch and waited for Alycia. I still had half an hour till I had to board the plane, but I was beginning to get worried.

"Don't worry sweetheart, she'll be here," Mum attempted to comfort me.

The 30 minutes passed, and it was time to board my plane, but there was still no Alycia. I glanced down through all the check in areas, the shops, everywhere, but nothing. A tear dripped down my cheek as I gave Mum and Dad a last hug goodbye, and I turned to give the airport lady my ticket. I turned around one last time, and then I noticed something. A girl with long, curly, strawberry blonde hair, and a somewhat high-pitched voice, was running towards the terminal with half an arm hanging out of her jacket and a bag falling off her other shoulder shouting "SIERRA! WAIT FOR ME!"

"Alycia!" I held out my arms as she jumped on me to give me a hug. "Where the hell have you been woman? Oh my god! Seriously, you were giving me a freaking heart attack!" I began on her.

"Wait, wait Sierra, just shush. There's something important I have to tell you before you go..." Alycia interrupted.

"...well what is it?" I prompted as a massive smile spread across her face.

"I'M COMING WITH YOU!" She shouted. The airport lady at the gate shushed her, but we both ignored her as I squealed with excitement.

"What? How? Who? Why? Where?" I wasn't making any sense.

"I'll explain on the plane, cause I think we have to get on now" Alycia pointed out. Oh yeah, the plane.

We both hugged my mum and dad again, and then ran down the terminal tunnel arm-in-arm. This was the best thing that could ever happen! Alycia was coming to America with me!

On our way to America, we first had to land in Sydney and go from the international airport there. So Alycia and I had plenty of time to talk during the flight from Broome to Sydney.

"So what made you suddenly decide to come with me?" I asked her.

"Well, I had a lot of money saved up because my parent's had been paying my uni fees for the last 6 months. And the other day I realised, I'm not ready to start working yet. So I figured, why not take a gap year and go to America with my best friend?" She explained.

"And why didn't you tell me any of this before?"

"I wanted to surprise you... and because I only decided last night," she laughed.

We chatted non-stop until we landed in Sydney just before dinner time, and then soon enough we were on our flight from Sydney directly to Baltimore, Maryland, in the U.S.A.

I had no idea what time it was when we landed, but damn I was tired. Alycia had slept for about 6 hours, but I'd slept for only about 2. I was going to hit the wall if I didn't get some proper sleep in a proper bed soon.

We trudged our way to the bag pick up area and waited for our bags to come rolling around on the conveyor belt. I think I was about to fall asleep on Alycia's shoulder when she pointed "look, there's mine!" She jumped up and ran over to grab it. I spotted my bag quickly after, and rushed to grab it before it had to go full-cycle again.

There were a few people in the way, so I started to say "excuse me, excuse me, I need my bag, there that one!" But either no one could hear me, or they were being rude and just didn't care. I took my eyes off the bag for one second to dodge around a tall, grey-haired man, when it was suddenly gone; I looked up and noticed a young guy with darkish blonde hair pulling my bag off the conveyer belt. "Hey, that's my bag..." I began, but suddenly stopped when I noticed the face of the man who had grabbed my bag.

"I know," the skinny young guy replied in a smooth, light, happy tone. "I was grabbing it for you, since it looked like you were having some trouble getting to it." He set down my bag in front of me and smiled a cute, innocent smile. "Here you go," he said happily.

I wasn't sure if I could speak, but I tried anyway. "Oh, well thank you," I replied. Ugh, my voice sounded terrible. Get your shit together, Sierra!

He smiled sweetly at me again. "Anyway, my name's Alex," he held out his hand and I shook it. His hand was cold, and a little but clammy. When we let go I looked at his face. Did he look... nervous?

"Sierra" I stated simply.

"That's a pretty name. I'm guessing you're not from here, judging by your accent," he said, cute smile still present as he swished his side fringe with a flick.

"Yeah, I um, I'm from Australia." At that point Alycia called for me to hurry up because the taxi driver was getting impatient, so I gave a quick goodbye smile and ran off. Almost out of earshot, I heard him say "maybe I'll see you again..." but I was too tired for it to register properly that I'd just had a conversation with the hottest guy on the planet.

I was woken by the loud rain hitting my bedroom window. Alycia and I were staying in a hotel for a couple of nights until the apartment we had agreed to move into a few weeks ago was being renovated or cleaned or something. The crisp clean white sheets of the hotel bed reminded me of when I would sleep at home with mum and dad sometimes on weekends while I was still at University. I missed my single bed in my little room that was still painted pink from my 'pink phase' when I was 12.

I turned my head and forced myself to look at the alarm clock. It read 1pm. 1pm? I'd slept half the day away! I shoved the covers off of me, put on a jacket, and ventured through the hotel room looking for Alycia.

She had her head stuck in her mobile phone when I found her, her face lit up like Christmas.

"What are you up to?" I asked, opening the fridge and looking for something to eat.

"My favourite band is in town for a gig tonight! I'm trying to find the place on the GPS in my phone! Ahh, we should so go Sierra!" Alycia began to squeal.

"Ugh, it's not that one... um Falling Boys?" I asked. I wasn't good with Alycia's music tastes. I was more of an 80's rock type of person.

"That's Fall Out Boy, and no." She said with a laugh. "It's All Time Low!" She smiled like the Cheshire Cat at me.

"Oh whatever. If they're good looking ones then I'll go." I replied. I might as well get some gain out of watching one of her bands.

"Oh trust me, they're good looking alright." She nodded with complete confidence.

"Okay I trust you. So, what songs do they sing again?"

From then Alycia went all fangirl on me, explaining every single song they had and their meanings, so I found myself some lunch and then had a shower. After my shower, I rummaged through my suitcase, looking for a decent dress I could wear tonight. I found a strapless dark purple, almost black coloured dress that came just above my knees, with a black ribbon around the waist. I hung it up in the wardrobe, ready to go, but for now I just wanted to curl up on the couch for a bit.

I was woken by Alycia shaking my shoulder. I must have fallen sleep on the couch because my mouth was full of fluff from the couch cushion. I wiped some saliva off the corner of my mouth and forced myself to open my eyes.

"Hey sleepy-head, get your lazy butt up, its 4.30. I don't know why you fell asleep again; you were only up for like an hour before." Alycia complained.

I groaned and rolled over. "Woops..." I mumbled into the fluffy pillow. I sat up and yawned as Alycia continued to complain.

"We better leave in half an hour Sierra! We can have dinner at the bar they're playing at before they start!" She rushed around, looking for something. Of course she'd already lost something.

I sighed and dragged my feet to the bedroom, not keen on going out. I really wasn't in the mood anymore. I pulled the dark purple dress off the hanger and slipped it on. I always did love this dress; it wasn't too short or too tight that it would be uncomfortable. Now feeling a little more excited at how I looked in the dress, I skipped across the hallway into the bathroom, turning on the straightener. I combed out my knotty hair and began to straighten it out.

By the time I was done, my now straight, dark brown hair reached half way down my back, and my fringe sat perfectly, for once. I put on some simple make-up, just some eye liner, mascara and blush, and went back to the bedroom, now extremely excited for the night ahead. I found my black heels and put them on, turning to look at myself in the full length mirror. Yeah, I looked good.

I went out to Alycia waiting for me in the kitchen, and she glared at me when she saw me. "Bitch," she said. "You always were prettier than me," she said dramatically.

"No way," I disagreed, "you look great Alycia." She really did. Her curly, strawberry blonde hair went perfectly with her red dress.

"Right. Anyway, let's go! Ahh, I'm so excited! All Time Low, Sierra!" Uh-oh, she's fan-girling again.


	3. The Gig

Chapter three: The Gig

The bass from the speakers vibrated on the windows loudly, and colourful lights flashed around the large room. Most people were dancing on the large dance floor in front of the small un-occupied stage.

Alycia began to complain again as the barmaid set down two beers in front of us. "They should be starting now! Ugh!"

"Calm down, they'll be on soon" I comforted her.

We chatted for a couple of minutes until a tipsy guy came up to our table. He was looking straight at Alycia.

"Hey there..." he slurred slightly. Alycia smiled half-heartedly and did a half-laugh.

"Uh... I'm gonna go get another drink," I said and bailed out of the soon-to-be awkward conversation. Alycia would hit me later. I walked over to the bar and sat on a spare bar stool. The bartender got me a drink and I sat there bored, sipping at my second beer of the night.

"Sierra?" A male, smooth voice asked. I'd only met one person so far here in America, and so it could only be one person. I turned to face Alex as he smiled a huge, absolutely gorgeous smile at me.

"Hey, Alex!" I said brightly. I never thought I'd see him around again, let alone in this small bar in Baltimore. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know, for the music," he said mysteriously. Was I missing something?

"Me too. Well, for my best friend really. She's here for the music. She's sitting over there. Her name's Alycia..." I began to babble. I stopped myself when I realised I was talking too much.

His gentle eyes sparkled as he watched me embarrass myself. An embarrassed laugh escaped my lips just as a middle-aged man hopped onto the stage with a microphone and the music was turned off. I directed my attention to him in an attempt to get Alex to stop paying attention to me. It worked.

"It's now time for our special guests for tonight! I've known these boys since they were yay-high," the man measured his hand up next to his waist. "And so, on a break from their first nation-wide tour, please welcome All Time Low!" The room erupted in cheers.

"That's my cue," Alex smiled as he ran towards the stage before I could ask what he meant.

Something began to dawn on me as he ran off. The answer slowly creeped into my mind as he dodged the crowd, and became even more evident as he jumped up onto the stage and grabbed the microphone, while three other guys ran up from side stage to join him. Oh my.

"Hey guys, thanks for being here! And thanks Tony, you rock man!" Alex pointed to the middle-aged man side stage and winked. "So, I think we'll start with a song you all love to dance to..." Alex smiled as he slipped the strap of a green guitar around his shoulders.

Alycia ran over to me, her face lit up like Christmas as the guitar intro began. "Ahh! SIX FEET UNDER THE STARS!" Alycia screamed. I winced at the high pitched noise stinging in my ear.

I looked back up to the stage as a wonderful, rough yet silky voice began to sing. _"Time to lay claim to the evidence, fingerprints sold me out but our footprints washed away from the docks down town..." _

I was mesmerised by the beautiful voice Alex had. He was so immersed in the song that his eyes would close, and then he'd open them again to smile and interact with the crazy crowd. I could feel a stupid smile come across my face as I stared at him, beads of sweat starting to appear on his forehead.

"_Thames Street, I'll take you out though I'm hardly worth your time..."_ Alex continued to sing. Though this time his eyes weren't closed, and they weren't looking at the screaming girls in front of the stage, they were looking at...me?

I felt confused. I couldn't be certain, but I could swear Alex glanced at me every now and then throughout the song.

"_And like a bad movie I'll drop a line, fall in the grave I've been digging myself but there's room for two, six feet under the stars" _

He directed a gorgeous half-smile in my general direction at the bar, but was he really looking at me? I didn't have a big head or anything, but it was hard to identify who he was directly looking at without thinking it was me. His big, deep brown eyes felt like they were staring right into me, searching my soul. I felt butterflies in my stomach as I stared at him and the song finished. The crowd went wild as his stare towards me broke and he smiled and had fun with the crowd, giving them high fives while the guitarist ran around with his shirt pulled over his head.

Alycia and I laughed as he almost ran into the drums and the drummer. The drummer hit the guitarist with his drum sticks. "The guy running around is Jack," Alycia giggled, "and the drummer is Rian." Jack fell over at the unexpected assault from Rian, and then the bassist, "Zack," Alycia pointed out, walked over and put his foot on Jack's head as a sign of victory.

The antics died down as a stool was brought out and Alex exchanged his green electric guitar for an acoustic one. The other three settled down with their instruments and Alex adjusted the height of the microphone.

"Okay, so this is a song from our newest album, Nothing Personal," Alex began with a smirk, and the crowd cheered and clapped. "This is probably my favourite song from the album, and so here it is. This is Therapy." A beautiful tune began from the acoustic guitar and the crowd was dead silent, waiting for Alex's angelic voice to sing again.

"_My ship went down in a sea of sound, when I woke up alone I had everything." _

I had expected his voice to sound the same as the last song, but this was completely different. He sounded vulnerable, calm and passionate. The words to the song were beautiful, but I couldn't concentrate on the words much because I was so enveloped in Alex's voice. Wow.

"_But they tore me apart like a hurricane. A handful of moments I wished I could change, but I was carried away." _

His beautiful voice continued into the chorus, and it got even better. His voice raised an octave, and the fact that he could sing so well at that pitch just blew me away.

"_Give me therapy, I'm a walking travesty, but I'm smiling at everything.  
>Therapy, you were never a friend to me,<br>and you can keep all your misery." _

I sat on the bar stool and continued to stare at him as Alycia tried to get closer to the stage. She was just as bad as the others, and that made me laugh.

The end of the song neared, and as he sung the last chorus, his voice straining slightly, the song just became more beautiful.

"_And you can choke on your misery."_

He sung the last line with full feeling, obviously pulling from personal experiences. The acoustic guitar faded out and the crowd screamed louder than before. A wide smile stretched across Alex's face at their reaction. He looked so happy.

"Alright guys, unfortunately that's all from us tonight. I wish we could stay longer but we'll definitely be back again soon to play for Tony and you guys," Alex said.

"Yeah, we have an orgy to go to," Jack pointed out, and the crowd laughed. "What? I'm serious!" Jack exclaimed, but the crowd only laughed more and Alex rolled his eyes at him.

"I tell you what, we're going to hang around for a bit, talk to you guys, have a beer, and just have fun, because we all deserve it!" Alex said, and with that, music began over the speakers and the band walked off the stage and into the crowd, where they were nearly swarmed by girls.

It took a couple of minutes for the crowd to die down, but once people had gotten their photos and autographs, the four boys were free to mingle and drink in peace. Their fans were pretty cool, come to think of it.

They all ended up with beers in their hands, and to my surprise, Alex once again headed over to me sitting at the bar with Alycia. When Alycia spotted him, I put my hand over her mouth to smother her squeal, and I smiled at him.

He glanced at Alycia with a worried look. "Uh, is she okay?" He questioned, his caterpillar eyebrow raising.

"Oh, yeah, she's fine. Aren't you Alycia?" I glared at her sadistically, and she got the point that she shouldn't scream when I take my hand off her mouth. She nodded, her wide eyes looking scared. I slowly lowered my hand and she sighed.

Alex returned his attention to me. "So, did you enjoy the performance?" He asked brightly.

"I really did. You have an amazing voice," I answered, and he beamed at me like I was the only person he ever needed approval from.

Alycia cleared her throat and nudged my side. "Oh, uh Alex, this is my best friend Alycia, Alycia, Alex," I introduced them. It felt weird, like I had known Alex my whole life, even though this was the third time I'd ever spoken to him.

"Hi!" Alycia smiled brightly, holding her hand out. Alex shook it and smiled back at her.

"It's great to see fans that aren't just from America. It's awesome to know we can reach to people on the other side of the world!" Alex sounded genuinely happy about this fact. I would be too.

"It's so true! All Time Low has such a _massive _fan base in Australia!" Alycia gushed.

"I only wish we could get there more often," Alex replied. He turned back to me and smiled again. There was a short awkward silence, and then there seemed to be an invisible light bulb that went off on top of Alycia's head. She had an idea. Crap.

"Um, I'm going to go to the bathroom, I'll be back in a sec," she said, picking up her bag and scurrying off. Hmm.

I turned back to Alex staring at me. "What?" I had to ask. I was still really confused on why Alex had taken such an interest in me.

"Well I was thinking..." he was interrupted then by two girls around my age holding out a pen and a poster to Alex for him to sign. "Hey guys," he smiled at them, signing the poster quickly.

They waited for him to say something else, but his attention was already off of them. They walked off, their smiles faltering slightly.

"Anyway, um I was thinking, do you want to tag along with us to a party tonight? You can bring your friend," Alex asked.

I kind of didn't want to stop looking into his beautiful brown eyes yet, so I quickly answered with a "Yes!" A little too quickly, I think. Way to not look desperate, Sierra.

Alycia returned to us then, just as Jack, Rian and Zack walked up behind Alex. "Hey! You must be Sierra!" Jack exclaimed, and he gave me a tight hug. I hugged him back with a confused look on my face.

"Uh, yeah, how did you know my name?" I asked.

"Ha, Alex hasn't stopped- ow!" Rian began, but was punched in the stomach by Alex.

"Shut up guys," Alex murmured to them. I blushed at the thought of Alex talking about me to his band mates.

"Uh, Alycia, Alex invited us to a party tonight, do you want to go?" I know it was a silly question to ask her.

"Yeah! That would be awesome!" I'd never seen Alycia smile so happily.

I spotted Jack smile gently at her, almost fondly as Alycia giggled with excitement at the thought of partying with All Time Low.

"Well let's go then!" Alex declared, and we headed off to their large tour bus parked out the back of the bar. It was time to party with All Time Low!


	4. Goodnight Kiss?

Chapter Four: Goodnight Kiss?

I was sat between Alex and Jack on a rounded couch in the corner of a big room with a dance floor, a DJ, and big speakers spread throughout the room. Alycia was on the other side of Jack, and then Zack and Rian were on her other side. I felt like some sort of celebrity, sitting with these four hot guys at a massive party. Either that or we were the kids who thought they were too cool to dance with everyone else. But I highly doubt that second theory, since Jack was itching to dance with someone.

"Pleeeease someone dance with me!" Jack begged. He turned to Alycia and began tugging on her arm like a child. "Please please pleeaasseeee!" He pouted. Alycia rolled her eyes and surrendered. Jack clapped and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the middle of the dance floor.

Zack scooted over; filling the space between us, and Rian got up to get a drink. I was watching Jack dance like an idiot with Alycia dancing awkwardly next to him, while I felt Alex shuffle next to me slightly. Out the corner of my eye I could see his head twitching funnily, and he was mouthing silent words to someone. I guessed it was Zack since he was on the other side of me. Just as I was about to lean back and see what they were doing, Zack got up and walked off, saying he needed to go to the bathroom. Right.

Alex inconspicuously rested his arm on the back of the couch behind me. Was he making a move? I tried to hide my red cheeks at the thought.

"So... what brings you to America?" Alex started up a conversation.

"Well, I graduated from University a couple of months ago, and I got offered to be a part of a program for new maths and science teachers, and it sounded like such a great opportunity so I had to accept," I explained.

"Ah, so you're a smart one! So are you teaching maths or science?" He asked.

"Maths. It's so easy to me. It always has been," I smiled.

"So that would make you... 23 years old?" Alex guessed.

"Almost. I turn 23 in a month. Alycia's already 23, she's 6 months older than me. She's been my best friend for forever." I smiled fondly at Alycia, still dancing with the dorky Jack.

"Maths wasn't my best subject in high school. I was okay. Rian was much better at it; he'd always have to help me with homework." He laughed to himself.

"What's so funny about that?"

"Well, we'd tell my mum that'd we were doing homework, when actually we'd just jam in my bedroom. And then Jack would sneak in through my window. There's no way my mum would let Jack around if I told her I was doing homework; if he was around nothing would ever get done," he chuckled. "Jack's been _my _best friend for forever. I can tell you're just as fond of Alycia as I am of Jack. He makes everything more fun." He smiled like a dork.

"That's so cute," I had to point out. It really was! I'd never heard any guy talk about their best friend like that! "You two must have been the coolest to grow up with."

"Yeah, we are pretty cool," he agreed.

I was having such a great time, hanging with Alex, and watching my best friend have the time of her life dancing with the guitarist from her favourite band. I was so glad I decided to come to Baltimore.

"You're pretty," Alex said out of nowhere. Say what?

"Uh, thanks?" I replied awkwardly. This was random.

"I'm going to be honest with you right now; I think I've had one too many beers, and ever since I met you at the airport I thought you were the prettiest girl I'd ever met," he said brightly and confidently.

I didn't know what to say. Here was this hot, famous, amazing musician, telling me that _I'm _pretty. Surely he'd seen prettier girls than me; he'd been all around the country! I blushed and looked at my feet, trying to hide my face. Alex tilted his head so it was on the same level as mine and grinned at my reaction. His hand moved from the back of the couch and rested on my shoulder.

"Come on, we should dance," he suggested.

"Uh no way. I'm good thanks. You can go dance with Jack."

"No way, I am not leaving you here by yourself, that would be rude of me. Let's go! It'll be fun." It wasn't his words that convinced me, but the look in his eyes that said he really wanted me to dance with him. I sighed and stood up simultaneously with Alex. Just as we reached the dance floor, the DJ changed the song to a slower one. Seriously? Great timing, DJ. Way to make things less awkward.

Alex seemed pleased with the song choice, and he held out his hand to me. "May I have this dance?" He asked, acting like a complete gentleman. How could I say no to that gorgeous face?

"Yes you may, kind sir," I accepted, playing along. He took my hand and placed it on his shoulder. I moved my other hand so they joined behind Alex's neck, while his hands slid around my waist, and we began sort-of swaying and sort-of dancing. It was hard to tell.

The female voice coming from the song was familiar. Maybe it was another one of Alycia's favourite bands? Alex smiled in recognition of the song.

"Ah, Cassadee sounds great in this song! I've always loved this song," he said.

"What's it called?" I asked, curious.

"It's called 6 Months. Cassadee and her band are great friends of ours. They're called Hey Monday."

Ah, Hey Monday. I recognised the name from Alycia's continuous ramblings about anything to do with All Time Low. "She has a beautiful voice," I commented.

I glanced around to look at the other people dancing. I was pleasantly surprised when I spotted Alycia's arms stretching around Jack's neck, and his lanky arms sitting comfortably around her waist. They looked really cute. Alycia looked calm on the outside, but on the inside I knew she was probably freaking out and screaming with excitement.

"Aw look at that," Alex said, also looking at Alycia and Jack.

"She deserves someone like him," I blurted out, lost in my thoughts. Alex looked like he was going to question what I said, but he seemed to let it go and concentrated on our slow dancing again.

The song finished way too early for my liking; I wasn't done having an excuse to have my arms around Alex yet. I smiled to myself at my corniness. To my luck, another slow song started. And not just any song, but 'I Don't Want to Miss A Thing' by Aerosmith.

"Do you want to keep dancing?" Alex asked me, and I nodded in reply. Sub-consciously, we both seemed to move closer to each other; my forehead was now resting on his shoulder and his mouth near my ear. It was so comfortable, like we'd always been like this. He was so warm; I felt I could just hug him all the time. What am I even saying? There's no way a guy like Alex would even be going for me in the first place; I had to stop imagining things like this. And I'd only known him for two days!

I sighed. "This is one of my favourite songs," I said gently to him. He didn't reply, but he began to hum, in perfect tune with the song of course. The song progressed and his humming became louder. Soon he was actually forming words, rather than humming. It was still quiet, but loud enough for only me to hear. His voice was even more magnificent when it was right next to me. _Swoon._

Alex pulled away suddenly. He held one of my hands, stepped back, and spun me around, while still singing. He moved gracefully towards me, and I stepped in to meet him half way. He was making up his own dance moves, twirling me around while trying to look graceful and professional. He was trying to keep a straight face but I could tell he was going to burst any second, because I was already laughing. With one last turn for the song, he dipped me and we froze there, staring at each other, idiotic smiles on our faces. He pulled me up and I straightened up my dress. Alycia and Jack walked over to us and Alycia sent me a look saying _we-really-need-to-talk-right-now-before-I-burst. _We excused ourselves to the bathroom, and I think we made it just in time before Alycia let out a quiet, yet high pitched scream.

"I can't believe this is happening Sierra! I think I'm going to faint, or cry or something!" she hugged me tightly, and I think I began to lose circulation to my arms. "You'll never believe what Jack said to me! We were just chatting during the slow dance, and then he started talking about Alex. He said Alex hardly slept last night; he just kept talking about you! And then he was worried that he'd never get the chance to see you again! Sierra, you have to tell me; do you like him too?"

I was shocked at what Alycia was telling me. I didn't know if I _could _believe her, but I did because it was Alycia. "I uh... but... are you sure? I mean, of course I like him! He's amazing, funny, cute, caring, sweet... but, I've only known this guy for two days!"

"I have to get you two on a date, seriously. This could be big Sierra!" Alycia babbled. Oh God, what is she going to do to me? She walked out of the bathroom suddenly, and I followed her. She headed straight to the bar where Jack was standing, and I headed back to the couch confused, where Alex and Rian were talking. I sat next to Alex timidly, now paranoid because of what he'd told Jack. Should I say something? Should I ask him out? No, I couldn't do that. I can't risk that level of embarrassment. Could I?

I realised Alex and Rian were looking at me then. My eyes had been stuck to my fidgeting fingers in my lap, but I realised it was quiet and looked up. "Are you okay?" Alex questioned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I assured him.

Jack and Alycia came back over, and Jack asked Alex if they could go talk. Alone. Uh oh, Alycia had gotten Jack in on this, hadn't she? Dammit Alycia. I didn't want her to do this, but something tugging at the back of my mind was glad that she was doing it and almost saving me any embarrassment.

A couple of minutes later the boys returned and Alex sat back between me and Rian, but a little closer to me this time. Jack whispered something to Rian, and he winked at Alycia. Before I knew it, we were on the couch alone again.

"Uh..." Alex muttered.

"Do you know what they're up to? I think I do," I broke the silence.

"Oh, well Jack was just telling me that I should ask you out."

My heart jumped and my eyes widened. My palms became clammy. He'd made the statement, but was he going to ask?

"I gotta tell you, he put up a pretty good argument. But I didn't really need to listen to his argument much. I'd already decided what I was going to do." Uh oh, this didn't sound very good to me. I wish I could read his mind. Just say it already! "So, Sierra, ever since yesterday I've really wanted to ask; would you like to go on a date with me?"

He asked? What? I thought this was going in a completely different direction. Never in my wildest dreams had I ever thought I would be asked out by Alex Gaskarth, a guy who I had only met two days ago and realised what he does for a living today.

"I'd love to," I answered. His face lit up like Christmas.

"Great! So, how about tomorrow night, I'll pick you up around 6?"

I felt really excited now, I almost felt like jumping up and down. God, Alycia was rubbing off on me. "Sounds perfect."

Alycia and the rest of the band joined us again a little while later, and we talked for what felt like hours. The party crowd began to shrink, and soon enough we were the last ones there, laughing and telling stories. The owner came up to us and spoke. "Okay guys, its midnight, we gotta close this place up."

We all groaned in unison, but grabbed our things and headed back to the tour bus parked in an empty car park. We continued our own little party on the bus, where Alycia and I met some of the band's crew. There was Matt Flyzik, their band manager, Vinny Vegas, their merchandise guy, and Evan Kirkendall, the sound guy. They were all really cool. By the looks of it, everyone wasn't surprised that Vinny was drunk and giving everyone hugs and kisses on the cheek. I wonder why? It looked kind of strange.

By the time 3am rolled around, it was pretty obvious that Alycia and I were ready to fall asleep. Luckily enough, Flyzik wasn't drinking, and so we told him the name of the hotel and he knew exactly where to go.

I was parked on one of the couches with Alex, his arm sitting comfortably around me, my head resting on his shoulder. I wouldn't say I was drunk, but Alex was a bit of a different story. He couldn't sit still, and his words were slurring together slightly. It was probably a good thing that he kept moving so I didn't fall asleep on the bus.

We arrived at the hotel, and Alex and Jack insisted on walking us up to our room. The elevator ride was interesting. Jack couldn't keep anything in his pants, and Alex continued to laugh like a little school girl. If I was sober, I would have been weirded out, but because I was just a little bit tipsy, the little things they were doing were just hilarious.

We reached our floor and stumbled out of the elevator and down the hall to the front door. Alycia fumbled for the keys in her handbag with Jack while Alex leant on the wall next to me.

"Ya know, I had a really good time with yooou tonight," Alex slurred.

I giggled in reaction to how he was talking. The door opened behind me and Alycia and Jack went inside but Alex and I stayed where we were. It was silent for a moment. Then, Alex began to lean slightly. Was he going to kiss me?

He seemed to think about what he was doing, and then stopped. "Hmm. I spose I should probably leave some things for the first date." I think he saw the disappointment on my face, and so he leaned in and simply kissed me on the cheek. Just a little peck, but enough to leave me dying for tomorrow. "Goodnight Sierra," he smiled.

"Goodnight Alex."

Alex leaned through the doorway. "JACK! GET YO LAZY ASS BACK ON THE BUS!"

I tried to stifle my laughter at how loud he was shouting. He had probably woken up half the hotel! Jack slumped out the door and headed towards the elevator, pushing the down button continuously. Alex winked at me and walked off.

Man, I can't wait till tomorrow.


End file.
